Combined vertebral fracture assessment and bone mineral density measurement: a patient-friendly new tool with an important impact on the Canadian Risk Fracture Classification.

Purpose: Vertebral fractures often go unnoticed, while they constitute a significant risk factor for new fractures, independent of the bone density. Vertebral Fracture Assessment (VFA) is a new feature on DXA bone densitometry equipment. Our purpose was to determine the added value of VFA and its impact on the Canadian fracture risk classification using data from a Dutch academic cohort.